Saturday, May 31, 2008

I grew up on my Mom's Texas-style taco salad - you know, the one with ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, kidney beans, cheese, and tortilla chips. We added a few other things, too, but that's the basic taco salad. This one came to me via email yesterday - I subscribe to a daily "Dinner Tonight" email from Cooking Light. One look at this one and I new we had to have it for dinner last night. All I had to go buy was the avocado - you just don't keep those lying around the house. I like the "coolness" of this one from the sour cream, and the chipotle flavor made it really unique. (Yes, I know "really unique" is hyperbole...).

Sunday, May 18, 2008

I was first attracted to this recipe by the picture in the magazine, and then by the simple ingredients and directions. After I made it, I was thrilled with how little time it took to make it. The onions took about 3 minutes, the meat 4, and then the whole sandwich about 2. Boy, was it yummy! We've added this one to our list of all-time favorites - so now I'm going to be looking for more sandwiches - grilled and pannini.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Sometimes I like to go to Barnes & Noble and sit and read. I was there the other day, sipping on a sugar-free iced coffee, and perusing a Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine. There were so many recipes in it I decided to buy it. This was one of the first recipes I tried.

Another recipe from the same magazine tasted too good to be low-carb and low-calorie. I had some South Beach Diet non-fat cottage cheese - which I decided I didn't like straight from the carton - and by using Dreamfields pasta, this was a great healthy pasta dish that was full of flavor. I added some crushed red pepper for a little kick. I took a great picture, and then accidentally deleted it.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or deep skillet, cook the turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, salt, red pepper, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and marjoram; set aside. Drain mostaccioli. Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into an 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of the pasta, meat sauce and cheese. Top with cottage cheese mixture. Layer with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 350˚ for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serves 6.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

When Don and I go camping, one of our favorite snacks is Frito-Lay Bean Dip - with Fritos Scoops. I found a recipe on recipezaar for a copycat - and gave it a try this afternoon. For $.69 for a can of refried beans, plus pennies for the add-ins, this recipe made 3 times as much as a little can of the name brand. We thought it tasted exactly like Frito-Lay's!